


Sand, Sun and Superheroes

by sneakronicity



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Community: trope_bingo, Drabble, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-20
Updated: 2013-03-20
Packaged: 2017-12-05 23:03:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/728891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sneakronicity/pseuds/sneakronicity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony decides they all need a 'team building' vacation somewhere with lots of sun, sand and surf. His birthday is a good enough excuse for this, right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sand, Sun and Superheroes

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Trope Bingo prompt "Holiday". I own nothing, Marvel owns everything including my soul.

It took a lot of elements to build a successful team.  There has to be a common goal, everyone has to have a role and the drive and skills to fill it, but above these and dozens of other things there has to be trust.  That is why everyone had a right to be upset when they arrived at Tony Stark’s tower after he had played the “Avengers assemble!” card to find not a super villain hell bent on taking over the world, but Tony in a Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses announcing that they were all going on vacation together for his birthday.  
  
Needless to say much yelling and arguing ensued.  
  
In the end it was Pepper and Thor who got everyone to calm down, and even convinced them that this was a good thing.  They were all pretty stressed out, and this would give them an opportunity to get to know one another when they weren’t in the middle of battle or too exhausted to do more than just eat in silence.  Besides, Thor wanted to experience a true Midgardian holiday with his new friends, and considering the commute he had to put in to get here it was hard to tell him no.  
  
Shortly thereafter they all boarded Tony’s private jet.  Pepper had taken care of all the preparations and the luggage, staunchly refusing to let him have any say in what swimwear any of them would wear by telling him he could only decide on 12% of what they did on this excursion so he shouldn’t waste it on luggage.  He was wise enough to know not to argue when she threw that number at him.  
  
On the flight they taught Thor how to play poker, and all were surprised when Bruce turned out to be a card sharp.  Hiding his anger behind a mask of reservation for years gave him an impeccable poker face.  
  
Tony had found a small, private resort and reserved the entire thing.  They each had their own private cabins, but seeing as each one had three bedrooms several of the Avengers decided to continue on with the whole ‘team’ thing and just bunk together so only three cabins ended up being used.  They wasted little time exploring their quarters just yet, instead changing into more appropriate clothes and heading straight for the beach.    
  
Tony, Pepper and Bruce set up a few loungers and umbrellas and settled in for a relaxing day.  Pepper and Bruce each had a book with them and they made valiant efforts to read them but it was a difficult task with Tony constantly talking at them and trying to get their attention.  Apparently he wasn’t content to just watch the volleyball game the other four had set up; he honestly didn’t do well when people weren’t paying him any attention.  
  
Facing off across the net in the sand, Natasha and Thor took on Clint and Steve in a fairly evenly matched game.  Steve and Thor were tremendously strong while Clint and Natasha had speed and accuracy on their sides and the game was tied when Thor spiked the ball and drilled it six feet into the sand.  They decided to call it a draw.  
  
That evening they had a feast of lobster at a long table set high on the beach.  The alcohol flowed freely and so did the laughter as they cracked the shells ungracefully and sent juice from the cooked shellfish flying in all directions.  Thor almost obliterated one crustacean in his hand while Clint somehow cut his thumb on one of the claws.  Natasha amazingly managed to dismantle hers easily and with no mess, somehow making the task look almost elegant, and expertly fished out every bit of meat that was edible.    
  
Afterwards Clint made the mistake of getting into a drinking contest with Thor and Steve, underestimating the former and not realizing that the latter’s super serum prevented him from getting drunk.  By the time the archer was near ready to pass out his two mostly sober opponents helped him back to his cabin before retiring to their own which they also shared with Bruce.  He had done well with the festivities but had called it a night earlier; he didn’t dare drink figuring that nothing good could come of that.  
  
The beach grew peaceful and dark, the moon, the stars, and a few sporadic torches giving off the only light when Pepper excused herself as well, leaving Tony and Natasha alone.  
  
For a long while they sat in strangely companionable silence, and surprisingly it was Natasha who finally broke it.  
  
“So how does this birthday compare to the last one we spent together?” she asked, her lips crooking upward just barely.  
  
Tony looked at her suspiciously for a moment, then contemplatively.  He could have given her a flippant answer about how he wasn’t dying this time so that instantly marked it higher, but today had been better than expected, better than he could have hoped for, and he didn’t want to taint it now.  He hadn’t slept well since his near suicidal flight into oblivion, had been struggling to deal with many things, and this… he had needed this more than he was willing to admit to any of them, more than he could even say.  
  
“I honestly can’t think of a better birthday I’ve had,” he said, looking a bit surprised himself because not only was it true but he was actually admitting it.   
  
“Good,” Natasha replied, rising to her feet.  “Happy Birthday, Tony.”  And with that she turned and headed toward the cabin Clint had been deposited in nearly forty minutes earlier.  He was dead to the world, of course, but she still made sure to speak to him the second she opened the door to announce her presence and assure him it was only her.  It was never wise to sneak up on an assassin, even a drunk and passed out one.   
  
For a while Tony sat alone, the crashing of the waves down the beach and the light of the stars in the sky his only company, until Pepper came to find him after having awoken still alone.    
  
“Come to bed.  Rhodey will be here tomorrow and you know he’ll take great joy in waking you up bright and early,” she said.  Relishing in the feel of the now cool sand between her toes for a moment, she took his hand and gave it a gentle tug.   She earned a chuckle in response before Tony tugged her hand back, though it certainly wasn’t gentle and she ended up falling into his lap, just where he wanted her.  
  
“Maybe I can sic Thor on him.  Or Natasha, she’s scary enough,” he replied, wrapping his arms around Pepper’s waist.  Deciding to humour him a moment she curled up against him and rested her head on his shoulder, her own eyes rising to look at the stars above.  “Although getting up early would almost be worth it just to see the terrible shape Barton is going to be in.”  
  
It was with that thought in mind that they finally retired for what was left of the night, and overall the rest of the weekend was just as much of a success.  The next time they assembled to fight they worked almost seamlessly, like a well-oiled machine.  They all had their roles, their shared goal, but there was also trust, affection, and a sense of camaraderie that had been lacking before.   
  
As time went on it only got better.   
  



End file.
